The Hidden Fear
by TC2
Summary: Buffy, Xander and Dawn are dealing with their inner demons as well as worrying about Willow who left in the middle of the night to find Tara. Can the gang come together or will fear seal their fate.


Title: The Hidden Fear

Disclaimer: BtVS, the quotes in this part, and all the characters belong to Joss, the talented writers of BtVS, UPN, Fox, etc....

Distribution: You can put it wherever you want. Just tell me where please.

Setting: This takes place immediately after The Scattered Puzzle (at end of season six around Normal Again) The Troika are no more after Jonathan turned himself in. He testified against Warren and Andrew which shortened his sentence. None of the events that happened after Hell's Bells (the AR, Tara's death in SR, Willow going evil) happened here.

Summary: In The Scattered Puzzle Dawn staked Spike who was attacking Buffy. Now, Dawn deals with the repercussions. Buffy tries to sort out her life, while also wondering and worrying about Willow. Xander tries to keep not only Buffy and Dawn together but himself as well as he deals with the fact that Anya has disappeared. 

To read The Scattered Puzzle go here: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=593667

Rating: Rated PG 13 to R 

Feedback: I welcome it with open arms. All I want to do with this series is entertain you as much as possible as well as put forth a story that I feel could be written to an extent on the show. If that is done, then I will be a happy man. 

The Magic Box

10:55 P.M.

May 15th 2002

"Yeah, I will. Thanks," Xander said, hanging up the phone. 

Buffy sat at the table in the middle of the store as she looked on, "Anything?" 

"He said they haven't heard anything but they'd keep a look out."

Over the course of the last day Spike had been staked, by Dawn no less, after attacking Buffy. After getting back to the Magic Box, Xander and Buffy had agreed that they would call Angel to see if he had seen or heard anything about Willow in L.A. Xander talked to a man named Gunn who had told him that Angel was currently chasing down a lead on a case of theirs. Xander could tell by the tone in the man's voice that something was happening in L.A. with the gang, but Xander nor Gunn seemed like they had time to go over their respective problems.

Buffy looked at her friend and Xander could see the concern written on her face as he walked out from behind the counter.

"I think I'm going to take Dawn home and try to get some rest," Buffy said.

"Yeah, maybe that's for the best," Xander said looking over at Dawn who was curled up on top of the weapon's chest in the corner asleep. She was using a sweater as a make-shift pillow. "It's got to be tough on her. You know, staking Spike and all ... not that I was fond of the guy of course but... Dawn. I didn't understand why, but for some reason or another she really seemed to care about him. I remember the day after we ...." he looked down for a second as Buffy watched him intently. "..we lost you. We were all a mess. But Dawn... she felt responsible. I tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault but it didn't matter. That night Spike came by and I remember the way she was. She latched onto him in a way I guess. I don't know why but she did. She... it just ... must be really tough."

"Yeah, it must be," Buffy said in a whisper, her eyes lost in Dawn's direction.

**********************************

Just outside of L.A.

11:18 P.M. 

Willow was awoken by a phone call in the middle of the night less than twenty four hours ago. The voice on the other end told her to come to L.A., giving her 1266 Parkway Road as the address. The man's voice was rigid and had a power to it that Willow could sense even though he was hundreds of miles away. Now here she was in a cab heading for the address. She felt ready to call upon whatever power she has to in order to help Tara. Once again one of the talks that Giles gave her while on one of their many research nights together when she was in highschool came to the surface.

("That's the one thing about Magic. If you get involved in it, you get connected with senses that you would never have without. It can be powerful and intoxicating, which makes it all the more dangerous if not used right. When one calls on magic there is usually a certain bond that you acquire. You can begin to sense magical abilities in some. This is especially true for the most powerful of Wiccas and magic practitioners.")

Those words from Giles had always loomed in her head from time to time, but mostly it was simple curiosity. Now, it came with a little fear. She knew that she had come a long way with her magic, and it both excited and scared her. Even Tara has told her how much more powerful she was than even Tara herself. Her spell casting, her magical essence, and especially her senses, were stronger and much more finely tuned.

Well, if Tara was right about Willow's senses then she knew she was walking into something that she may not be able to defeat. Still, she had to try no matter the odds. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Tara and vice versa. The only problem was the magical force she felt last night while on the phone was off the scale. It was something that she had never felt before except for a year ago when Tara had her brained sucked by Glory. What scared Willow even more was when she had felt that sort of power then it was of her own doing when she went after Glory.

Willow's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she heard someone else's voice inside her head.

{Willow Rosenberg}

"Stop the cab." she said as the cabbie came to a stop near a corner street in downtown L.A.

{If you want to see your lover alive again I suggest you get out now}

"Here," Willow said tossing more than enough money to the cabbie who picked it up from the front seat beside him as she got out.

"Lady, are you sure you want me to just leave you here? I mean, being in downtown L.A. at night isn't a great place to be alone."

"Leave," Willow told the cabbie and he suddenly felt the pedal go down by itself underneath his foot.

{Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Willow. I thought you were giving up magic and yet here you are with it flowing through you like a current.}

Willow concentrated her senses. {Would you like a taste?}

The voice in her head chuckled. {Why else would I bring you here Willow Rosenberg, friend of the slayer and watcher}

{Where's Tara? I swear if you've hurt her I'll... }

{Temper, temper young one. Your lover is safe ... for now. It's you I want anyway. Your power, your essence.}

{Is that a cheap way of saying you want in my pants because if you haven't noticed I don't go for the timber, especially from a dead man.}

{Oh yes, your essence is going to substain me for many of generations.} the voice said chuckling before a calm seemed to come over him {Follow the street up ahead until you come to the bookstore. Then go down the stairs and enter the shop. The door will be unlocked.}

Willow started marching down the street as the voice sounded once more through her head...

{I'll be waiting for you little one.}

*********************

Sunnydale Press Newsroom

11:29 P.M.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Sunnydale Press, how may I help you?"

"Jesus Christ Lampkin! Don't you know what time it is? We closed three hours ago and yet you're still at work?" 

Marc Lampkin chuckled, shaking his head, "I'm about to leave Mr. Tunnel, I just had to finish that story for tomorrow that I told you about."

"Oh right, your Sunnydale General Boogey man. Uh huh, you run with that kid."

Marc let out a sigh as he heard Mr. Tunnel laughing on the other end. Tyrone Tunnel was Sunnydale's top reporter at the age of forty-four. He had been in the paper business for nearly his whole life and with the Sunnydale Press for twenty-five years, a reporter for nineteen of those years. It was sort of a rule with the paper - you do your internship and then you have to deal with Tunnel riding you through your first year as a journalist. 

Marcus Lampkin however, wasn't your average kid going up the journalism ladder. His father, Jacoby Lampkin, was Sunnydale Press' best reporter, but had retired during Marc's internship after his sixty first birthday. Some people ventured that it was not coincidence that Marc was given an internship just before his father retired but to those who knew Marc, they knew there was nothing more that he wanted than to prove that he had earned it. He had been at the Press for nearly five years now, his first three years as an assistant. Then came the offer of an internship both he and his father had been waiting for. Less than six months into his internship, he had been one of the main people to help break a major story in Sunnydale about the power plant's CEO taking illegal tax deductions. Even though Marc didn't get any prestige publicly for helping break the story, as it went to the reporter he was working for, everyone knew of his hard work and dedication. 

Now he had finally finished his internship and just a few weeks ago he had been given his first story to run with as a journalist by the paper. His assignment was to cover a story on the new equipment that the hospital had just received and tell whether it was worth the taxpayer's time and money. It wasn't as exciting as he had always imagined his first story would be like, but it was his first and he figured there would be many more opportunities for better ones later. However, as luck would have it, during one of his many trips to the hospital to interview some of the staff he stumbled upon something much more interesting. It seemed that the night before one of the head nurses reported seeing something "strange" at the hospital. He overheard one of the orderlies talking to another nurse about the incident but couldn't make it all out. All he got was something about the head nurse claiming that she walked into one of the patient's rooms and saw a man dressed in hospital dress rags turn towards her with the face of a monster. Marc kind of got a laugh out of it, thinking it was nothing more than a case of an employee working way too many night shifts, but a few nights later another nursed claimed she saw a man in another patient's room. According to the rumors she walked in on a "monster," as she called it, who seemed to be latched onto the patient. She then ran out of the room to go get help. When she returned with security there was no sign of the man and the patient was in his bed, oblivious to his attack and fine except for two puncture wounds on his neck and some blood loss. 

That was two weeks ago. Since then there had been a number more of odd occurrences at the hospital, including blood bags disappearing without a trace as well as other reports of patients wiith marks on their necks and blood loss just like the previously rumored attacked patients. However, the hospital hadn't reported any of the incidents officially and any of the staff who supposedly saw the incidents wouldn't talk to him. It seemed that the hospital was definitely trying to prevent any news of this spreading around. There was no doubt in Marc's mind that the staff was in fear of losing their jobs if they talked. Even a first year intern could see it.

"Hey kid, do with your time what you want but let me just give you some advice before you actually run with this story."

"Yes sir, Mr. Tunnel?" Marcus asked through gritted teeth, wanting nothing more than to tell Tunnel off right then and there.

"Go into the basement of inventory and look for a big box marked X. I think there may be a The Truth is Out There poster in there somewhere," Tunnel said laughing even harder now.

Lampkin slammed the phone down in annoyance. "Asshole," he muttered.

He knew that there would be hell to pay in the morning for hanging up on Tunnel like that, but right now he just didn't care. It had been a long day and at least Tunnel was right about one thing. He needed to go home. 

"Looks like you'll have to wait till tomorrow." Lampkin said to his computer - the screen filled with parts of the story as he shut it down and started gathering up his stuff. Once he was ready, he walked to the door and started fishing for the keys to lock up but quickly turned around when he heard a faint noise behind him from the far end of the newsroom.

"Hello?" he called out, being as still as possible. When nothing else was heard he shook his head to himself while chuckling. He then started fishing for his keys again. "Maybe Tunnel is right, maybe I do need to get away more." 

"Jesus!" Marc said jumping back after turning towards the door. Tunnel stood on the other side of the door looking in at him. After catching his bearings a bit Marc looked back up at the door, "Mr. Tunnel, look, uh, I'm sorry about hanging up on you like that but I... uh, I... hey, how did you get here so... wait, were you outside waiting for me?" 

The man on the other side of the door said nothing, creeping out Marc even more than before as he tried to break the silence.

"Uh, like I said Mr. Tunnel, it was a mistake. I'm sorry about hanging up on you it's just that I'm...I'm.. "

"Let me in..." the man on the other side of the door said before a sadistic smile crossed his face, "... Marc."

Every hair on the back of Marc's neck stood on end as he started reaching into his jacket for his cell phone while backing up. {He would never physically try to hurt me would he? I mean, sure he's an asshole but... but... no he wouldn't hurt me} Even though his mind tried to rationalize the situation he was still searching through his pockets for his cell phone. He was panicking so much that his mind didn't even register the fact that there was an office phone on the desk right behind him until his hand reached back and knocked the phone to the floor. Quickly he leaned down and picked up the phone, turning it over while he shakily dialed 911. Just as he had dialed the number he looked back up towards the door and saw no one.

"...... Mr. Tunnel?" he said as he got slowly to his feet.

"I told you to let me in." 

Marc turned around quickly as he fell back and tripped to the floor, dropping the phone in the process. On the other end an operator could be heard muttering through the receiver while he backed up away from the man.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad move Lampkin."

"Jesus you're nuts. Get away from me!" he said backing his way across the floor. "You touch me and I'll make sure you never work for the paper again. I'll go straight to the owner!"

"That's what you do best isn't it? Hiding behind others. Behind Daddy."

"What?"

"Always trying to prove yourself. Always trying to get out from underneath your father. Day in and day out but it never works. You will never be out from under him. Poor, pathetic, little Marc Lampkin. He's never been happy with your work either has he? Just never good enough."

"... What?... I-I... get the hell away from me!" Marc yelled getting up and taking his keys out of his pants pocket while he shakily tried to fit the right key into the door to get out. 

Outside overhead the sky could be heard roaring with anger as the dark clouds rolled in, seemingly engulfing Sunnydale whole just as the rain began to pour down upon them.

The next sound that was heard was from Marc Lampkin. Then came the silence of only the storm's slight rumbling through the darkened clouds and the rain's steady fall.

*********************

Golden Bookcase

1266 Parkway Rd

Los Angeles, California

12:23 A.M.

Her legs carried her as fast as they could and yet she still felt like she was going in slow motion. Then the slowness became a stop as she stood on the bottom step of the stairway leading down into the bookstore's main entrance on the street. She hadn't the slightest idea of what lay beyond that door and those walls but she had to risk it. Just as her hand reached out to open the door, the knob turned, seemly opening on its own as Willow stood at its entrance on guard.

A second passed and then Willow crossed the threshold of the store as she walked into the bookstore and stood few feet from the open door. The sight that lay before her was something that she figured was a Watcher's wet dream. The bookshelves were at least twenty feet tall stretching down the aisles as far as the eye could see. The floor had a soft cushiony feel to it that was detectable even with shoes on. The structure of the building had an antique feel to it, yet the walls and ceilings were in as perfect a condition as if they were new. 

"Admiring the remodeling?"

Willow spun around quickly while saying a few words in Latin as a cobra appeared on the ground in front of the man.

"There is no need for that," he said with a slight Irish accent.

This man who now stood in front of Willow was no taller than five-foot-eight and had a frailty to him that might have him mistaken for a beggar on the street. 

"Who the hell are you and where is Tara?" 

"Tamandas Dysart but you may call Taman, Ms. Rosenberg," he said with a bow of his head before continuing. "As for your friend Tara, well, I'm afraid she's not here."

What resolve Willow had she lost as with but a look the snake striked forward towards the man. However, halfway between striking the man the snake disappeared just as quickly as it had been formed.

Willow's face mirrored her frustration, "You won't win. I will not lose Tara to you!"

"I think you are mistaken little one." Taman said as Willow levitated a letter opener into the air at that very moment and sent it his way with but a look. However, just like the snake had failed in striking its opponent, so did the knife as it stopped directly in front of the man only to fall straight to the ground.

"What the hell are you and why did you call me here?" Willow asked, looking on in desperation.

"Why a bookstore owner of course and I called you here to help replenish me."

"Not happening," Willow said, a fireball forming in front of her as she flung it at the man. The fireball was extinguished a few feet in front of the man as if hitting a wall of water. After a few seconds passed, the man sighed, "Well, that was fun. Say, would you like to hear a story?" he asked, looking behind him as he pulled a seat out from underneath the table before gesturing towards the seat for Willow.

*********************

The Summers' Residence

Dawn's bedroom 

1:59 A.M.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

You wanna know what I'm scared of, Spike? ... Me." Dawn says tearfully. "Right now, Glory thinks Tara's the key. But I'm the key, Spike. I am. And anything that happens to Tara ... is 'cause of me. Your bruises, your limp ... that's all me too. I'm like a lightning rod for pain and hurt," she says crying, "And everyone around me suffers and dies. I ... must be something so horrible ... to cause so much pain ... and evil."

"Rot," Spike said firmly.

"What do you know?" Dawn says a little teary.

"I'm a vampire. I know somethin' about evil. You're not evil." 

"Maybe ... I'm not evil. But I don't think I can be good," she says looking up at Spike with a hopeful expression.

Spike looks at her for a moment before continuing, "Well, I'm not good, and I'm okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"I hope it's just dirt you're after." 

Dawn turns in surprise to see Spike standing over her.

"If the spell calls for anything more than that, you're into zombie territory, and that's bad news," he says.

"Spike, I-I wasn't..." 

"I know good and well what you're up to. That book you've got is infamous."

"Please ... don't tell Buffy. I just ... I have to get her back." she said with anguish, "I have to."

"I'm not gonna tell, little bit," Spike said with Dawn looking on a little surprised. "I'm gonna help."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, uh, what do you fancy, bit, uh, game of rummy?" Spike says getting up.

"Well, uh, Willow and Tara said they'd be back early." Dawn says as Spike goes to a side table and opens the drawer, "You don't really have to hang. I mean, if you're bored."

"I'm not, and yeah, I do." Spike says getting a pack of cards out of the drawer just before pulling a chair over to the coffee table opposite Dawn. 

"But I'm fine alone. It's not like anyone's coming after me. I'm not the key." She says as Spike sets the chair down, "Or if I am, I don't open anything any more. It's over. Remember?"

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself, so forget it." he says softly while sitting in the chair.

"Well, I'm just saying...."

Spike slams the cards down hard on the table making Dawn jump, "No. I'm not leaving you ... to get hurt." he says while still looking down before continuing softly, "Not again."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You don't come near the girl, Doc."

"I don't smell a soul anywhere on you. Why do you even care?" Doc said looking at Spike.

"I made a promise to a lady."

"Oh?" Doc says pausing for a moment before his long tongue appears from his mouth, shooting out at Spike, who ducks aside. Doc drops to his knees and pulls Spike's legs out from under him. Spike falls to the floor as Dawn watches them grapple. They get to their feet, Doc holding on to Spike, pinning his arms behind him. 

"Then I'll send the lady your regrets."

Spike gives Dawn an agonized look.

"No," Spike whispers just before being pushed over the edge. 

"Aah! No!" Dawn screams watching him go over the edge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, I had hubby by the throat, didn't I? Promised her he'd live if she gave me the invite."

"And did you? Let him live?"

"What do you think?"

"Huh," Dawn said, frowning.

"Too much for you?"

"No! Keep going." she said quickly.

"And I kill 'em. Right quick, the whole lot," he says while she looks on fascinated, "But..." he says grinning, "there's someone missing. Supposed to be ... this little girl. So I get real quiet," he says while looking at ceiling, "and I hear this tiny noise coming from the coal bin. This little sigh," he says looking at Dawn before his face changes and he lunges for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself, so forget it," Spike says softly while sitting in the chair.

"Well, I'm just saying...."

Spike slams the cards down hard on the table making Dawn jump, "No. I'm not leaving you.... no matter how many times you stake me," he says looking up at her with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dawn?" he whispers with a look of shock and pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn shot up in bed with a scream just as she felt two hands grab a hold of her shoulders.

"Dawn! It's me. What's wrong?" 

"Buffy?" 

"Are you okay?" Buffy asks just as Dawn buries her head into Buffy's shoulder, "I didn't mean to Buffy... but h-he was going to kill you. I-I didn't mean to," she said while sobbing into Buffy's shoulder.

"Shh... it's okay Dawn. It's okay," she said, holding her sister.

"But it's not okay, I-I staked him. I... I killed Spike."

"Dawn," Buffy said taking hold of her sister's shoulders and staring her straight in the eyes, "You didn't kill Spike. You did.... you did what you had to." 

"Why? Why did he... I mean, he ..."

Buffy simply shook her head as Dawn ducked hers into her sister's arms once again.

********************

The Golden Bookcase

A couple hours before dawn

"So, you mean to tell me that you brought me here to be your Power&Light repair man... er, witch?"

"In essence, yes."

For the last couple of hours the bookstore owner had been telling Willow what she had pretty much already known, that being that this was not any normal bookstore. She felt something when she passed through the entrance but thought nothing of it at the time. Now she knew. According to Taman the place was blessed by a coven of three witches back in the early twentieth century. The books and scrolls located here were of some of the oldest kept since the beginning of the written word, according to Taman. The witch's coven seemed to know the importance of this and blessed the land around it with a protection spell that would allow no harm to come to any of the books, and thus it seemed anyone or anything inside as well. 

When Willow confronted him again about Tara's disappearance Taman wasn't exactly forthcoming with information about the particulars of the situation concerning Tara or her captive, simply saying that he merely brought her here for her help. This did not go over well with her. 

"I don't have time for this. Tara is in trouble and I must find her. I've wasted enough time here," Willow said getting up and making a move to leave. 

However, when she took a few steps forward to make an exit she found none. Where the door used to be, there was now a solid wall. Willow turned to look at the man incredulously before turning back towards the wall with a determined look as she started chanting something. As she was chanting the wall seemed to be shifting. After a few seconds the wall was gone and the exit now stood right were it had always been. Willow took a second to smile and then took a step forward.

It was a mistake.

She soon found herself flat on her ass looking up at the ceiling.

"You have a lot to learn little one."

"Stop calling me that!" Willow said getting up quickly and facing the man. "Open the exit back up and let me out freely or else I'll make you. Nothing is going to keep me from helping Tara, especially not some old, decrepit store owner."

"You would be wise not to mistake me for someone I am not."

Frustrated, Willow turned towards the solid wall blocking her way and tried to take it down with her mind. A minute of concentration on the wall passed without success but being the determined person she was Willow reached once again into the deepest part of her mind to dredge up a spell to break the barrier.

"Contrary to my dear late Marie's belief, I can go all night. Can you?" The man said watching the young witch start to show signs of exhaustion as she fell to one knee.

"I won't let you take Tara from me!" Willow said getting back to her feet as she lowered her head and began chanting. She looked back up with black eyes and the man felt a slight breeze inside the store. 

Willow opened her mouth as a stream of fire came from within her heading directly for the man as her shriek echoed throughout the store. 

"It's really nice of you to start a fire for me. The central heat and air in this place hasn't worked for years now," the store owner said as the fire seemed to be trying to find its way through whatever was holding it back from the man. 

"But really it's not necessary," he said after the fire dissipated as Willow feel to her knees in pain.

"I brought you here for a reason Willow Rosenberg. I need your energy. Your power."

Willow clawed at the floor, trying to get back to her feet as she tried to fight back with every ounce of strength she had, "I won't let ... anyone... take Tara from me."

"No, I don't suppose you will," the owner said walking up to Willow, "but isn't that because you have already taken her from yourself? 

He leaned down close to her, "You have something in you that she can't understand. Your magic. Your power. She feared it. Feared you. She still does. Everyone does. The people close to you, your friends. Even yourself. One day it will consume you and when that day comes no one will be safe. Especially not Tara."

Willow could only lay there with a tear streaming down her face as the words hit her.

"Now if you'll excuse me I have some filing to do. When you feel like talking come see me," he said standing up before turning around and making his way down one of the long corridor's between the bookshelves. 

A slight whistling from his lips could be heard echoing throughout the store mixed in with Willow's sobs.

***********************

Sunnydale, California

Xander's apartment

Just after dawn

Sometimes no matter what you do to make the night pass easily it just doesn't. This was the case for Alexander Harris who could only sit in his apartment on his couch while dawn crept up on him from behind through his open balcony doors. Sure during the night every now and then he would doze off but just as he had been doing for the past few months, he would always be awakened. Just the slightest noise would set him off. {Is it her?} he would think as he would stare at the bedroom door night after night, waiting for her to walk through it, but never would his hopes come to pass. 

He remembered shortly after her disappearance the guilt he felt. Not because he was responsible for the demon taking her but because a part of him, just a small part was glad to not have to look her in the eyes and tell her he couldn't marry her. That killed him more than anything. That same night while sitting at home in a daze he vowed he would never stop looking for her. Now more than ever he wanted her presence. Her love. Her understanding. Just to hold her and tell her he loved her. It seemed fate had a way of laughing in ones face. Here was a woman who stood by him through the rough times in his life, someone who wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and it was taken from him. Taken from him not only by the demon, but by the fears and doubts that he had felt for so long.

Xander was brought out of his daze by the Sunnydale newspaper being slid underneath his door. He slowly dragged himself off the couch and went to pick it up. The first page he flipped to was the obituary column. Another routine that he had gone through many times over the past few months as well. 

Nothing.

Not a single one.

Not one person who was killed by an attack. Not one person dead with bite marks on their neck.

Nothing.

One might call it strange to see someone who knows and who has helped fight the evil in this town seem troubled by someone not dying. However, this was Sunnydale. A town where death is of the norm. People died. Nothing could change that. Not even the slayer. But for the past three weeks not a single person had died. 

Xander looked up from the paper as his phone rang. He got up to answer the phone while lying the paper down on top of the counter.

"Hello."

("Hey.") Buffy said on the other end.

"Hey."

("....")

"Buffy?" 

("Dawn ... she had a nightmare last night. She's pretty freaked. It was about ....") Buffy said letting the silence do all the talking that was needed.

"Oh God," Xander said putting his hand up to his face, "Is she okay?"

("Yeah, I think so. She's sleeping now.") She said looking at Dawn curled up on the couch.

("She's pretty freaked but I think she'll be okay.")

"God, I knew I should've never let her come along with me."

("Xander...") Buffy said in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, it's just... rough night again is all."

("The dreams?")

"The dreams," he confirmed in a low tone of voice.

After Anya's disappearance Xander told Buffy he had been having dreams of Anya coming to him in the middle of the night. She knew they were worse than what he let on but she would always let it go. Something she regretted. Just one regret in a long line. 

"Buffy, what are we going to do? About Willow I mean?"

("I don't know. I think we've done all we can do. It's up to her to come home now.")

"But what if she's in trouble? She'll need our help. We can't just..."

("I know.") Buffy said sighing, ("but I can't just leave Dawn here without anyone to watch over her.")

Xander let out a frustrated sigh, "Yeah, you're right."

"Buffy."

("Dawn, ...) Xander heard Buffy say over the phone as she told him to hang on.

"Buffy, I can stay by myself. I'll be fine." 

"Dawn, I am not leaving you here alone. Especially after last night," Buffy said holding the phone against her shoulder.

"Buffy, I'm fine. Well, okay I'm not fine but I'll be okay," she said continuing so that Buffy wouldn't have a chance to argue, "but I won't be if I'm worrying about Willow. She needs you, Buffy. Go. Bring back Willow. I-I don't want to lose anyone else."

Buffy laid the phone down and hugged her sister not wanting to tear up but unable to prevent tears from forming up behind her eyes. "Dawn, are you sure about this?"

"Buffy I'm staying home alone, not racing in the Indy 500." Upon a look from Buffy, Dawn clarified, "Another dream I had last night."

"Okay, I'm going over to Xander's. I'll call later this afternoon to check on you. You've got Xander's cell number so you can reach me anytime. If you can't reach me though..." Buffy said digging a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket and handing it to Dawn, "call this number. It's Giles'. He left it for... if I ever needed him. If you can't reach me, you call him."

Dawn took the piece of paper with a slight nod of the head.

Xander was waiting impatiently on the other end of the phone and was relieved when Buffy picked it back up, ("Pack some things. We are going to L.A.")

"But what about Dawn?"

Buffy looked down at her sister, ("Stubborn as ever.") she said smiling.

Xander couldn't help but smile a little, "Okay, I'll see you in a bit," he said before hanging up the phone. 

He packed a few things into a small suitcase before walking out the door, praying that he would see Willow alive and safe again soon.

******************

The same day

Outside the Summers' Residence

Just after 6:00 P.M.

"Thanks for walking me home Lisa." 

"No problem. Hey maybe we could have a get together at your place. You know, since your sister's away and all." 

"Uh, I don't know." Dawn said.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun. We could invite that cute guy you like, what's his name? Brandon?" 

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather just settle in for the night. Besides, I'm not really feeling that great," Dawn said motioning with her hands at her stomach, "I think the lunch lady has struck again," she said wincing slightly.

"Oh, well, I warned you about eating the food at school," Lisa said, looking at Dawn smugly before changing her tone, "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, I just think I just need to go lie down and sleep it off." 

"Okay, well, I'll talk to you later then. Feel better okay?"

Dawn nodded as she watched the girl continue down the street and meet up with a couple of other girls from school at the corner. Dawn reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys as she stepped onto the porch just before opening the door and stepping inside. 

It had been nearly ten hours since Xander had picked up Buffy. Dawn at first thought about skipping class but decided to go. Even if it was school, it helped get her mind off of her worries.

Leaning over the couch, Dawn pulled the blinds shut just before sliding down onto the couch. She turned the TV on with the volume down low just to have some light in the house before settling into the nice comfy corner of the couch. She could only hope that her worries wouldn't come with her as she slowly fell to sleep.

******************


End file.
